🌱 School District Facing $9M Budget Cuts + New Principal Hired

Morning, Des Moines! Here's everything you need to know to get this Wednesday started off right.

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First, today's weather:

Cloudy, a shower; breezy. High: 50 Low: 31.

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Here are the top 3 stories in Des Moines today:

1. Des Moines Public Schools, the largest district in Iowa, is facing $9 million in budget cuts for the 2022-2023 school year. The district has 5,000 employees and educates 31,000 students. Administrators are promising the changes won't affect kids in classrooms. (KCCI Des Moines)
2. Qynne Kelly has been hired as the new principal of Hoover High School. Kelly will take over the position from Shelly Poole, who is retiring. Ms. Kelly has extensive experience working in education, a bachelor's degree in education, and two Masters degrees. (Dmschools.org)
3. An Iowa man is behind bars after being involved in five different police pursuits. Des Moinespolice investigators were able to arrest Eric Hernandez at his home on Friday. He is facing five charges of eluding, along with five counts of driving without a license. (KCCI Des Moines)

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Today in Des Moines:

• Introduction to Children's Mental Health Webinar, Hosted By Mindspring Mental Health Alliance - Online Event(12:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• The book "Gender Queer" will be allowed to stay on shelves in libraries at West Des Moines schools. Apparent complained about the book, but the school board voted in approval of keeping it in libraries. (Facebook)
• Des Moines Parks and Recreation, along with the Des Moines Police Department, is hosting a youth baseball camp. The camp will run every Thursday from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., Apr. 7 through May 5. Enrollment is free. (Facebook)
• The National Weather Service is asking residents to pay attention to the weather forecast. The next few days could have active weather, including wind, rain, and storms. (Facebook)

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More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

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That's it for today. I'll see you around!

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.